6-year-old Marysville girl fatally shot in head

This is a discussion on 6-year-old Marysville girl fatally shot in head within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; I have no words. This is the very worst possible nightmare come true. I can not think of or imagine of anything more worst than ...

6-year-old Marysville girl fatally shot in head

I have no words. This is the very worst possible nightmare come true. I can not think of or imagine of anything more worst than this

6-year-old Marysville girl fatally shot in head

The father of a 6-year-old girl who died after being shot in the head Sunday had been drinking double shots of vodka while he cleaned his guns, according to probable cause documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.

The father of a 6-year-old Marysville girl who died after being shot in the head Sunday had been drinking double shots of vodka while he cleaned his guns, according to probable-cause documents.

According to those court papers, Richard Peters told deputies he had drunk several double vodkas before the shooting and he felt that at the time he would have been too intoxicated to drive.

Peters, 42, was arrested and is being held on investigation of first-degree manslaughter. He is being held in the Snohomish County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Peters was at home with his wife and three children on Sunday when he sent his daughter upstairs to fetch a Colt Double Eagle .45-caliber handgun from his nightstand.

Snohomish County sheriff's investigators said Peters told them he took out the magazine, pulled the trigger and the gun went off.

He also said that the Colt has a "hair trigger."

According to deputies, Peters told them he had been in the military, was "very proficient" with firearms and that he had both a license and a permit to carry concealed weapons.

He also told deputies that all of his children handle weapons, according to court documents.

His other two children, an 8-year-old and a 3-year-old, have been removed from the home by Child Protective Services, according to Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover.

"They're wonderful people. This is a terrible tragedy for the whole neighborhood," said neighbor Erika Smith.

She said the Peters' children were among five children in the close-knit neighborhood who played together constantly.

The death of the 6-year-old has been devastating for them all, she said.

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"We're just trying to keep it together for the children's sake and trying to be there for the family," she said.

The girl was airlifted to Seattle Children's Hospital, where she died overnight, said Lt. Jeff Brand.

According to authorities, Peters called 911 at 7:26 p.m. Sunday to report that his daughter had been shot in the head. Deputies arrived at the 4500 block of 83 Place Northwest around 7:50 p.m. The father had told a 911 operator that he and his daughter were cleaning guns when the girl was shot, deputies said.

Detectives have completed their on-scene investigation, Hover said. They removed other firearms from the house, but she did not specify how many weapons or which types.

According to deputies, Peters told them he had accidentally discharged a shotgun during a "pumpkin shoot up" in Darrington the day after Halloween when a friend handed him what he thought was an unloaded shotgun and he pulled the trigger.* Girl's school notifies parents (PDF)

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

"hair trigger" on a double eagle? There is no such thing as an accident, it all boils down to stupidity. Cases like this are the examples left wingers love to cite to extract emotion for their anti-gun agenda.

I am sorry for the affected and this "very proficient" person will never get the punishment he deserves.

Why is it that whenever there is a horrible story like this, alcohol is always involved?

I'm not opposed to a few glasses of wine with dinner or whatever, but it really seems like getting smashed is a recipe for serious trouble. This is especially true if there are young children around...not only do you have situations like this, but there is also the possibility that something else bad may happen where you need to have at least moderate control to protect them (anything, not necessarily defense with a firearm).

"Trust in God with hand on sword" -Inscription on my family's coat of arms from medieval England
---Carry options: G26/MTAC, PF9/MiniTuck, PPK/Pocket, USP40/OWB---
---NOTE: I am not an expert. If I ever start acting like a know-it-all, please call me on it immediately. ---

It escapes me that he knew he was too drunk/intoxicated to drive, but he was able to clean a firearm? this just doesn't pass the common sense factor. Or as my old Cav 1SG used to say "That dog won't hunt"!

He should be lock up for the rest of his sorry life and have no outside contact with anyone.

Where was the wife while this was going on?

I have 4 children from 1 to 13, and they all know that they do not touch any of dads firearms, unless under direct supervision of myself or my wife.

The guy broke every friggin gun rule there is,and admitted he doesn't handle guns responsibly.At a punkin shoot i accidently fired a shotgun when somebody handed me a shotgun and i pulled the triggerwithout checking the chamber,that shoulda been a wakeup call and then the night of the incident because it was no accident he stated i dropped the magazine and pulled the triggeragain did not check the chamber and apparently had the gun pointed at his kids head.Then he uses the I was in the military and know how to handle guns BS,apparently you didn't learn rule #1,#2,#3,or#4.If dads popping double shots of vodka at home he wshouldn't of been around guns anyways and like some people said where was the mom and is she one of those that daddy knows best types

All of his children handle firearms.
Six year olds sent to retrieve live loaded and charge "hair trigger" arms from nightstands.
Dad drinking him self blind stupid in front of the children, no doubt with regularity.
And mom had no problem with all this?!

And the neighbor says they are fine people.
Yeah sure lady. You're an idiot too. Or just plain ignorant.

This makes no sense.
And yet again is an addition to the 'Win' column for the Brady Campaign.
Which some folks out there will no doubt write off as ehh it was just an 'accident'.

Yeah, that is really close to home. It sounds like the first thing this moron does is pull the trigger every time he gets handed a firearm. Sounds like his claim to proficiency is in serious doubt. When all else fails, blame it on alcohol. I hope the kids are released from CPS soon. Very tragic for everyone involved.